Toby Lock

Joe Walsh and Jake Forster-Caskey are back in the running to start for MK Dons’ trip to Fulham, but goalkeeper David Martin could miss out again.

The keeper suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury at Hull earlier this month, and missed the game against Brighton.

MK Dons forward Jake Forster-Caskey battles with Derby County striker Johnny Russell during the Sky Bet Championship match between Derby County and Milton Keynes Dons at the iPro Stadium, Derby, England on 13 February 2016. Photo by Jon Hobley. PSI-1557-0012

Forster-Caskey missed three games with a foot injury he picked up in the 2-0 win over QPR at the start of March, while defender Walsh has been absent from the side since the Blackburn game at the end of February.

Kyle McFadzean serves the first of his three-match suspension for the trip to Craven Cottage, but defender Kevin Long, brought in on loan from Burnley until the end of the season, will bolster Karl Robinson’s numbers at the back - a defensive line he feels is now as strong as he’s ever had at the club.

“This is strong a squad I’ve had defensively,” he said. “We’re really happy with it, and we’re really lucky.

“From a recruitment, we’ve done well in that area, and brought in players quickly.

Kevin Long

“Joe Walsh is 100 per cent fit and doing wonderfully well. He has put himself right into contention again.

“We couldn’t afford to be concerned with Kyle McFadzean’s suspension. We haven’t overly mentioned it. In years gone by, we’d have moaned about it, but we’ve decided to focus on who we do have fit and available.”

Saturday is Dons’ first trip to Craven Cottage and will be only the second times the two have locked horns. The first, coming at stadium:mk in November, saw Dean Bowditch fire Dons into a first half lead before Moussa Dembele equalised on the stroke of half time as the two shared a 1-1 draw.